Wild turkeys will be fair game when the spring turkey season starts on April 18. / Jason J. Molyet/CentralOhio.com

Written by

Dick Martin

CentralOhio.com

Many gunners across the state are checking their sites and preparing their gear.

The 2014 Ohio spring wild turkey hunting season will open April 21 and run through May 18.

From all indications it will be a good one with a possible record kill. The turkey population is robust with plenty of toms and jakes. Many hunters are going to head home hauling a heavy bird.

But some won’t, and those who draw goose eggs will too often make a mistake or two, sometimes a very simple mistake. For this smart and wary game bird, one little error is usually enough.

What should you do and not do? Veteran hunters offer this advice:

Do

• 1. Be careful scouting. Too many hunters check out a farm a week or two before the season opens, then go back on opening day expecting the birds to be exactly where they were before. Turkeys move, often heading from one farm to another, wherever feed is best and easiest to find. Try very hard to scout the night before your hunt, or at least just a day or two in advance. Then they’re likely to be waiting.

• 2. Use decoys. The best turkey hunters scorn decoys, saying it’s just too easy. But there’s no question they work. Take one hen or even two and one jake, place them in a nice opening not far from timber, then start calling. Sometimes a gobbler will actually come running when he sees a jake near his potential girlfriends.

• 3. Sight in your weapon before you hunt. Picking up the family artillery and hoping for the best often doesn’t do it for turkey hunting. You MUST have a fairly tight pattern of No. 4’s or 6’s that will put plenty of pellets into a bird’s head and neck. A middle range turkey choke is a good investment, but at least try the gun and make sure there are no big holes or too much scattering.

• 4. In broken country with little flat land, try to stay on hilltops when possible. Turkeys like hilltops, which often have open areas for strutting. If a tom is on the same top, he’ll come easily most times. But they’ll seldom come from another hill, hiking down the valley and up the far side to reach you, especially if they already have hens around. When stuck on a hilltop in that situation, try to quietly move to a better location, and call again.

• 5. Practice your calling. Videos and tapes are available at nearly every sporting goods store, and you should practice until you’re at least decent and know the basic calls. It’s best to learn to use several different kinds of calls, too. If a tom doesn’t respond to one call, sometimes switching back and forth with several to imitate a small flock of lovelorn hens can make the difference.

• 6. If you can roost a small flock and be in position come dawn, your odds are good of taking a bird. Turkeys will often use the same roost tree for days, even weeks if it’s in a prime feeding location. But remember that if a gobbler has hens he’ll often let them fly down first, then follow. If he’s alone, he might stay up there later scanning for hens. Be patient as necessary.

Don't

• 1. If you haven’t pinpointed birds, and are just hunting and hoping, don’t move around, at least on dry days when you’re making noise. Find a spot and sit down a bit before calling to let birds settle. Then give it 20 minutes or so, move on, and wait again before you tune up.

• 2. Overcall. Too many of us get excited when a bird starts coming our way, and call constantly, hoping to hurry him along. If he’s coming, shut up. If he hangs up a little, give a cluck or two, but no more. And don’t be afraid to change calls on a suspicious gobbler, maybe from a cluck to a purr or hen yelp.

• 3. Keep in mind that turkeys have excellent eyesight (better than yours) and equally good hearing. Don’t move, except in slow motion, and don’t make noise when you’re working on birds. I’ll always remember a good friend who called in a fine gobbler and smaller jake to his cluster of decoys, got them in range, then thumbed off the safety, which made an audible “click.” “Suddenly all I had to aim at was the gobblers rump,” he said, “and it was disappearing at a rapid pace.”

• 4. If a bird hangs up tight, let him go. Trying to turn an already suspicious tom your way can spook him for keeps, especially in hard hunted areas. Sit tight, wait until he leaves, and try again another day.

• 5. Don’t start with a loud call. Experts recommend a soft tree yelp or two for openers. If nothing happens, a snappy hen yelp, then a few cuts, then a louder sound yet. If one is close, a soft call will do it, and if further away, he’ll hear the louder call. Whatever it takes.

Dick Martin is a retired Shelby biology teacher who has written an outdoor column for more than 20 years. He can be reached at richmart@neo.rr.com.